Chapter 1
1300 Hours
May 10, 1969
Walker Cemetery
Ft. Hood, TX
U.S. Army Major Christopher “Chris” Patterson and his wife, Kara, stood under a black umbrella in front of a small mound of black earth on a gray, overcast, rainy afternoon. The day matched their mood.
At the head of the grave was a temporary white wooden cross with the name Amanda Elizabeth Patterson – Born – May 3, 1969, Died May 3, 1969. The permanent pink granite headstone topped by a winged angel wouldn’t be set for two to three months.
Why did God take their baby girl from them before she had a chance to live? He wanted to see his daughter grow up, play with dolls, wear frilly pink dresses, go to high school, the prom, and have a life. While he wanted a boy to carry on the family legacy at West Point, even picking out a name, Donald Eric, he was equally happy with a little girl to spoil.
Chris pulled his wife close to his body as the rain fell harder, splashing from the ground onto the pants of his green class A dress uniform, making the woolen cloth smell like a wet dog. He didn’t care. It fit with the gloom of the setting.
“Honey, why did the cord prolapse? I did everything the doctor told me. Why did our little girl die?” Kara asked, tears streaming down her cheeks with her black dress and nylon stockings getting the same treatment as his uniform. She laid her head on his shoulder. They fit perfectly together with both of them being six feet tall.
“I don’t know. I wish I did.” Chris stroked her long, silky dark-brown hair. A few of the loose strands tickled his nose. He bit his tongue not to sneeze.
“What do we do now? The doctor said I can’t have any more children,” she mumbled into his shoulder.
“We go on. It’s all we can do. I love you. That’s all that matters.” Chris gripped the envelope in his jacket pocket with his free hand. He didn’t want to tell her this. Not here. Not now. But he had no choice. “Kara,” he started.
“Yes.” She pushed away to look him in the eyes. Her brown eyes flashed with concern. “I don’t like the sound of your voice. Is something wrong? What are you not telling me.”
“Ahh…I’m no longer in charge of the training for the 13th Support Brigade.” A job he really didn’t want anyway. Chris pulled the envelope out of his pocket and handed it to her. “My orders came in this morning.”
“Orders for what?”
Chris didn’t want to say this even though it was his second combat tour in Southeast Asia and his third overall. The first tour was in the Korean War with the 3rd Infantry Division. His last one was with the 82nd Airborne. “Vietnam. I have to leave in two days. I added twenty-five thousand dollars to my life insurance on top of my combat pay. I’m being transferred to the 1st Cavalry Division in the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry.” He could finally use his training and experience instead of sitting on his ass behind a desk doing paperwork.
Maybe he would finally get to thank his West Point roommate, Major Jackson MacKenzie, for introducing him to Kara at the Ft. Bragg officers Christmas party two years ago. Until that day, he never believed in love at first sight. A couple of weeks later, the Army transferred him to the 13th Support Brigade at Ft. Hood, TX, to train replacements. A job he really didn’t want. A few weeks later, Kara moved into an apartment off-base, dropping everything and finding another job to be with him. That’s when he knew she was his soul mate.
He wanted Jackson to be his best man at his wedding last August, but Jackson was currently deployed in Vietnam with the 5th Special Forces and hadn’t replied to his letters. The way the army mail service works, Jackson may have never received them. His second choice, Captain Harry Russell, was also deployed in the same unit.
Kara gripped his hand tightly. “Wasn’t the 7th Cavalry General Custer’s unit?”
A bit surprised, Chris couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, it was.” It’s also Colonel Moore’s unit. He was in Special Forces training when the Battle of the Ia Drang Valley happened. The first major battle between the United States Army and the People’s Army of Vietnam near Chu Pong Massif in the central highlands of Vietnam. Everyone knew about the bravery of the 7th Cavalry Regiment. The Seventh First.
“Don’t let Vietnam be your Little Bighorn.” Kara kissed his cheek. Her bloodshot eyes and flushed completion demonstrated how much she disagreed with him being deployed. “And I’d rather have you than the money.”
“Same here.” Chris gripped her hand as they walked back to the car. He looked over his shoulder at their daughter’s grave, hoping he wouldn’t be joining her soon.
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